MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Ambassador Maior. Thank you for
that very kind introduction. And thanks to each one of you for this
opportunity to discuss an issue that's very important to me, and that is
the progress that's being made by the courageous people of Afghanistan.

I especially welcome the participation today of your peers from
Kabul University and from the American University of Afghanistan. I
send a special greeting to each one of you.

President Karzai, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank
you for your leadership of your country. I also want to recognize two
former Presidents of Romania -- President Iliescu, who was the President
the last time President Bush and I visited Romania. Thank you for
joining us today. And President Constantinescu, thank you so much as
well for being here with us.

Ambassador Hunter, who is the President of the Atlantic Treaty
Association; Mr. Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic
Council; Mr. Alexandru Serban, who is the Executive President of
Euro-Atlantic Council, Romania; and Dr. Professor Abdul Rahman Ashraf,
the Chancellor of Kabul University, who is joining us today by
videoconference -- thank you very much. And Mr. Parwez Besmel, the
Foreign Relations and Cultural Affairs Director of Kabul University also
participating from Kabul -- from Afghanistan. I'd also like to
recognize Dr. Moulakis, the Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of
American University of Afghanistan who is participating from
Afghanistan.

And then a special greeting to the students from the American
University of Afghanistan and Kabul University of Afghanistan. And then
to each one of the young leaders who are here in the room with me today
at the Young Atlanticist meeting.

Today in Afghanistan, we have this chance to have this meeting
together. A few short years ago today's assembly would not have been
possible. Kabul University's doors had been closed by the Taliban.
Only 900,000 children attended school nationwide -- and none of them
were girls.

Today, more than 5 million children are in school in Afghanistan,
including almost 2 million girls. There are approximately 7,000
students at Kabul University, nearly 2,000 of whom are women. The
Afghan economy is growing, access to basic health care services has
dramatically expanded, and the child mortality rate has dropped by 25
percent in the past five years.

This progress has been supported by contributions from the United
States, from our 25 NATO allies, and 15 partner nations. But credit
belongs to the citizens of Afghanistan -- citizens like the 8 million
voters who bravely chose their first elected president in 2004.
Citizens like the more than 120,000 Afghans who have joined their
National Security Forces since 2002. And citizens like the ones who are
participating today from Kabul University.

Many of you are students of law. All of you know firsthand that
stable democracies require more than elections. Your country's
long-term stability depends on its capacity to build and sustain the
institutions of civic society. Yet decades of conflict and repression
have chased away many of those who would traditionally rise to this
challenge. Now more than ever, students like each of you have the
responsibility to ensure that rule of law triumphs in your homeland.

As a partner in the NATO Alliance, the United States is dedicated
to helping you succeed. Since 2002, the U.S. has provided $343 million
in funding for Afghan education initiatives, and an additional $91
million has been requested in the 2008 budget.

Kabul University is one of 16 universities in Afghanistan now
receiving U.S. support. I've seen firsthand the benefits of this
assistance. I visited the National Women's Dormitory and the Women's
Teacher Training Institute in 2005. Today, this dormitory is giving
more than 500 women a safe place to live while they study at Kabul
University.

As more women become educated, they can take on even greater roles.
The tens of thousands of Afghan girls who are now in school today can
follow in the footsteps of courageous leaders like Habiba Sarabi, the
Governor of Bamian Province, or Hasan Bano Ghazanfar, Afghanistan's
Minister for Women's Affairs, and like the more than 80 female members
of Afghanistan's parliament.

The U.S.-Afghan Women's Council, announced in 2002 by Presidents
Bush and Karzai, is encouraging individual American citizens to make a
personal investment in the success of Afghan women and their families.
By combining the resources of the public and private sector, the Council
is empowering women through initiatives such as literacy programs and
the Women's Teacher Training Institute, trainings for female judges and
lawyers, and the extension of micro-credit loans for Afghan
entrepreneurs.

The signs of progress in Afghanistan are heartening, but much work
remains. The United States is committing to help the people of
Afghanistan achieve the goal of a stable and democratic future. To
translate the opportunities of education into a lasting contribution to
your country's success, I challenge the students of Afghanistan to
continue to work together.

To the other young leaders who are here with me today in this room,
I urge you to learn more about the challenges faced by your peers in
Afghanistan. Your participation in the Young Atlanticist Summit
complements NATO's history as a great alliance of freedom. By
supporting Afghanistan's young democracy, we can honor this decades-long
commitment and help expand liberty for all.

Thank you all very much, and special thanks to the students from
Afghanistan. (Applause.)